Kate scanlon



UNITED STATES PATENT OE IcE.

KATE SCANLON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

POULTlCE-PAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,561, dated September 2'7, 1887 Application filed February 20, 1886. Serial No. 192,705. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KATE SOANLON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Poultice-Pans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatuses for the making of ponltices-warm, moist,or dryand the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a poultice-pan so constructed that the change of poultices, which is necessary in nursing the sick, may be accomplished with more cleanliness than heretofore; second, to economize both the substance used for the interior of poultices and the material which forms the outside thereof; third, to economize time; fourth, to prevent burning the poultices while heating them. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire device, the cover being removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section taken longitudinally through the device; and Fig. 3 is asection on line 00 0c of Fig. 2, showing the construction of the cut-off slide which cuts ofi the steam.

Similar-letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

There are three main compartments, A, B, and G, and a cover, D, all of which are preferably separate and unconnected, so that they may be easily removed. The lowest compartment, A, is provided with holes a a around its upper portion to let in air to feed the flames of the lamp b, which, preferably, is made separate and unconnected with any part, so that it may be removed at pleasure. The compartment A is also provided with four brackets-one at each of its corncrs-two of which, 0 c, are shown in Fig. 2. These brackets are intended to support the compartment B, which is made to rest upon them,and has its lowest portion preferably within the upper portion of compartment A, so that it will rest secure,and not be lightly thrown out ofposition. The compartment 13 is the re ceptacle for the water cl.

short pipes or shoulders, f, preferably made screw-threaded at their upper ends, to allow a cap, 9, or extensioupipe h, to be tightly I add one or two screwed on, as desired. The compartment 0 has an upper edge, i, which rests on the upper edge of the compartment l3, leaving the body of compartment C rest within compartment B, and the lower part of compartment 0 rest in the water d within compartmentB. The body of compartment Cis made narrower, shorter, and less deep than compartment B, in order to leave space for the water d, which surrounds the outside of the lower part of said compartment 0, and to allow the steam to rise. The compartment 0 has on one side, preferably toward the lefthand corner, a series of holes, k, which, by the aid of the cut off slide or panel Z, running in guides at m with ears jj, can be closed or opened at pleasure. I preferably make a similar series of holes on the opposite side of compartment G,toward the right-hand corner, and provide them with a similar contrivance of slide and guides. sis a handle for the slide,

and t a o w w y z are handles for the different compartments and parts to which they are annexed. The cover D is puton top of compartment O to keep in'the heat or steam when desired. I

It will be seen that when the lamp is lighted the heat thereby communicated to compartment B sets the water therein steaming, and if I desire a moist poultice I open the holes k in compartment 0 by means of the cutoff slides, and the steam rising and entering the holes kvwarms and moistens the poultice. At the same time, by means of the cap 9, I close the pipes or shoulders f, and the steam finding its sole outlet through the holes in compartment 0, all the steam will get into compartment G and warm and moisten the poultice which has been laid therein. If, how ever, I desire a dry poultice, I leave the cap 9 off and the pipes and shoulders f open,and, by means of the cut-off slides Z, I close the holes in compartment 0, so that the steam is cut off from entering compartment 0, but it escapes through the pipes or shoulders f on compartment B, and the heated water heats compartment 0 and dries the poultice in that compartment. I prefer to make two pipesf and caps g and extensions of pipes h on compartment B, as shown, so as to regulate the steam better at will.

The extensiorrpipes h areintended, merely for convenience, to be placed into the mouth of a person afflicted with croup or some affection of the throat, to allow the steam to be inhaled.

The lamp 1), I prefer to make with three wicks, n n n, to spread the heat more, and one or more of the wicks may be used, as desired. I fill the lamp preferably with oil or alcohol. Any ordinary lamp or other equivalent contrivance, however, which will communicate heat will answer as well as the lamp described.

It is clear (and my claims are made accordingly) that I need not make compartment B with any shoulder or pipe if I wish a device merely for moist poultices, nor need I make compartment 0 with any series of holes or slides or guides if I wish merely a device for dry poultices. It is also clear that I need not have more than one or two poultices where formerly many more were necessary. To illustrate, if I have a patient to nurse to whom flaxseed ponltices must be administered, all I do is to take a cup of hot water and put the fiaxseed therein and soak it, and when soaked put it'into some cloth or similar material and it is a poultice. This poultice by my invention can be put into compartmentC, heated, warmed, moistened, or dried, as often as required, without, as heretofore, soaking the whole poultice,with its outside covering, again in hot water, or making a new poultice, and thus I save the outside and inside material of the poultice, and prevent the continual soiling of the hands, which would occur in making new poultices, and time is also economized. I prefer two poultices, so that while one is being applied to the patient the other can beput into my pan and got ready for application.

My invention will be especially useful in public hospitals and institutions where it has been the custom to throw poultices away after the first application, rather than to take the whole poultice, with its covering upon it, and soak it in the water, and thus use a poultice with its outside or inside all wet,when it ought only to be moist. Then, again, ifa dry poultice is wanted, the outside or inside materials of which it is composed will not become scorched or burned, because the water and tin (of which metal I prefer to make my device) intervene between the great heat of the flames and the poultice, and this prevents the burning of the poultices and the odor consequent thereto,which heretofore has been common in many cases,much to the discomfort of the patient occupying the room.

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent 1s- In a poultice-pan, the combination, with compartment B,provided with pipef and cap g, of compartment 0, provided with slide Z, and communicating with compartment B and cover D,substantially as shown and described.

Signed at New York city, in the county of I New York and State of New York, this 2d day of February, A. D1886.

' KATE SOANLON. Witnesses:

FRANK P. OnAsro, CHRISTIAN WEssEL. 

